Since Ed said that we were on our own for this blog post...I spent a good portion of my evening thinking about what I was going to write about. I thought of looking up a good article on line and responding to it, possibly looking at something in the text book and responding to that as well. Then I got to thinkin'....we have a major focus in this class on technology - our text book Curriculum 21 has a major focus on the use of technology in our curriculum planning to help prepare students for the real world. WELL, my question is, what do you do when that technology is NOT available?
At Washington Academy, we have many things....we were lucky enough to just open up our Fine Arts wing last fall - which included a really nice art room, 4 new class rooms, and a proper band room. We are also lucky enough to be breaking ground this June for new tennis courts and a track. We have an expansive Industrial Arts program where students learn everything from making their own boat to fixing a car motor. But, what are we lacking?? We are lacking the 1 to 1 laptops that almost all other Maine schools have!! We do have a library that offers a number of laptops that travel to the class rooms where they are needed and the library itself has a number desktop computers that are available for students to use. Also, a number of students do have their own computers (especially our international population, who are never very far from their computers.)
So, what is the issue? The issue is, how do I - as a teacher - provide all of these awesome tools to my students and get them the opportunities that I think they deserve, when we do not have the basic technological needs at our school? Another issue we have is that all the teachers are given MAC laptops, which are great. However, a number of the students with their own computers have PC laptops...which is sometimes an issue because of different programs etc.
I admit I do not use a ton of technology in my classroom. All of my notes are done using power points and I do take the students on a number of virtual field trips throughout the school year. I have also done some running documents on Google Docs - in which I post something and have the students respond to it. I know I could be doing more...but how do I do that when not every student has access to the technology?
I teach in an affluent district, which one would assume would have the most up-to-date technology. However, while we are certainly not without, our computer labs are not always fully functional. Many times plans to perform an activity or lesson have been thwarted by the inability to log-on or a program not being installed correctly. I hate to use this as an excuse, but it limits my excitement about using more technology in the classroom when it is not as reliable as some of the older methods.
ReplyDeleteThis must be incredibly frustrating! No wonder you don't use much technology in your classroom! Here are my two thoughts regarding your situation:
ReplyDelete1. Don't forget the reasoning behind the use of technology in the classroom. Technology in and of itself isn't always a good thing, but because technology often engages and encourages our students to do additional research, it is often used as a go-to resource for compelling our students to learn and demonstrate their understanding of a certain subject. I'm sure that 200 years from now, even our current understanding of "technology" will be outdated and antiquated. The reasoning behind the use of these tools (engagement and encouragement of research), however, is timeless. If you can find other means of engaging and encouraging additional research, then I would argue that you are still providing a fulfilling and rich educational experience.
2. You may actually be in a uniquely positive situation. Sometimes fewer resources are better, as demonstrated in Sugata Mitra's TED video in which he argued that when groups of children work together on a single laptop they are able to retain the information better by utilizing "photographic recall due to discussion." Fewer laptops may actually incite greater collaboration. Since watching that video, I've actually been thinking about ways to reduce access to 1-on-1 computing in order to get this type of collaboration! In a way, you may have something to capitalize on here!
Hello! I must admit that I am not a practicing teacher - simply a student of edcuation - but if you asked me what makes a difference, a teacher or technology and I would answer with the teacher. I think technology has its place in education and great potential to facilitate higher learning, but it will always be the teacher who fosters the greatest learning. So, my question would be not what technology can do for me, but what I can do with technology. - Just a thought for debate! Hope all is well!
ReplyDeleteWhile I agree with many of these comments, I can't see how students in today's classrooms CAN NOT have the tools they need in their hands every day. And frankly, computer labs are 1990s thinking...even computers on a cart don't cut it. If you aren't a one-to-one school, what can you do? One idea that hundreds of schools are using is the idea of BYOD—Bring Your Own Device. These schools allow students to bring their own laptops, tablets, smartphones...whatever they have to connect to the Internet...they allow them to be registered to the school network...and away everyone goes. The school then ONLY has to provide a few devices for those students that do not have their own. In a national study, 70% of parents said they would provide a device for their children IF the school required it and actually had kids use it for learning.
ReplyDeleteLots of issues here...but Google BYOD and read about the pros and cons. This may be the wave of the future. Parents should be knocking on school doors demanding that schools provide the tools that their students need.